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Iraj Pezeshkzad was born in Tehran in 1928 and was educated at the University of Burgundy in France, where he received his law degree. He served as a judge and later joined the Foreign Service where he served as a diplomat until the 1979 Iranian revolution.

He began his writing career in the 1950s by translating works of Voltaire and Molière into Persian. His novels include Haji Man-Ja‘far in Paris, Mashalah Khan in the Court of Haroun al-Rashid, Asemun Rismun, and Honar-e Mard Beh Ze Dolat-e Oost. He has also written several plays and various articles on the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911, the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution.

He is perhaps best known for his iconic novel Dai Jan Napoleon (My Uncle Napoleon), published in 1973, which earned him international acclaim and was accoladed by both Iranian and international critics as a cultural phenomenon.

The book was later turned into a highly successful television series and it immediately captured the imagination of the whole nation of Iran. Its story became a cultural reference point and its characters national icons. The book has been translated to English by Dr. Dick Davis as well as a number of other languages including French, German, Russian, Italian, and Norwegian.